The NGV and Arts Centre lit up on a winter night.

What's on this weekend in Melbourne

Discover things to do in Melbourne this weekend, from free events to exhibitions, attractions and places to visit.

The best RISING events on this weekend

Two people standing in front of a large pink spiky wall of speakers in an exhibition space.
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The Vinyl Factory: Reverb

ACMI and RISING present The Vinyl Factory: Reverb, a major exhibition of vinyl culture and music.

Vintage black and white photograph of a dance class taking place inside the ballroom on the third floor of Melbourne's Flinders Street Station, shows a group of young people in white tops and black shorts performing a dance routine in a large hall with a wooden floor and arched ceiling.
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RISING: The Land of 1000 Dances

Experience RISING’s very own dance academy in the historic Flinders Street Ballroom.

Artwork featuring a bright yellow flower against a patterned background.
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RISING: Flower Power

Flower Power shares First Peoples’ knowledges, ecologies and ongoing resistance.

A collection of vintage Furby electronic robotic toys displayed on wooden shelves.
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RISING: Furby Chorus and FRIENDs

Domestic robots gather to converse through synchronistic movement for the Australian Dance Biennale.

A person wearing a gold crown and bright red tights sitting on a vintage armchair, giving a peace sign. Another person in a top hat and a light-coloured outfit is sitting next to them, holding a white parasol over both of them. They are in a room with a white textured wall and a patterned rug.
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RISING: We Come To Collect – A Flirtation, With Capitalism

Off-Broadway comedy-theatre that drags us into the darkness with a wink and a snarl.

Times Square NYC activation with light panels and crowds.
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RISING: Festival Opening at The Square

Fed Square transforms into an open-air canvas showcasing Cannupa Hanska Luger’s Midéegaadi.

The four members of the band Dry Cleaning in a dimly lit domestic interior, standing or seated around a kitchen table with a jigsaw puzzle in pieces in front of them.

RISING: Dry Cleaning

London art-rockers Dry Cleaning arrive with their sardonic wit, surreal imagery and Secret Love.

The organ pipes inside St Paul's Cathedral, with a circular stained glass window on the rear wall behind the organ.

RISING: Voiceless Mass

A Pulitzer Prize-winning composition in St Paul’s reckons with history, power and silenced voices.

The five members of the indie rock band Wednesday, all looking at the camera, slightly smiling, standing outdoors in a forest setting.
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RISING: Wednesday

Wednesday bring their slacker poetics, gnarly riffs and an Asheville twang.

This weekend only

An artist painting in a workshop with brightly coloured murals on the wall, artist's materials on the floor.
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Creative Acts: Artists and their inspirations

Step inside the unseen inner worlds of artists at State Library Victoria.

Interior view of a historic building featuring stone arches and columns, transformed by a vibrant, multi-colored light projection show.
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Eonarium Enlightenment

Eonarium Enlightenment invites Melbourne into an immersive world of light, music and the seasons.

Red-lit dance crowd on a crowded dance floor.
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Hartbeats Live Jazz

Live jazz, DJs and deep grooves every Sunday till late at Whitehart Lane.

People gathered on a couch and armchairs at a distillery taking part in an introductory tasting tour.
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An Introduction to Bakery Hill Tour

Join the tour and take a pocket-sized peek into the Bakery Hill Distillery.

A blue image with a couple dancing, a chandelier, a staircase, palm tress and other symbols from musicals.
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Encore! Songs from the Musicals

The magic of musical theatre in a star-studded showcase of hits.

A woman at a food show dressed in a colourful dress and presenting a product to onlookers.
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Good Food and Wine Show

Celebrity Chefs, Bakers Alley, Cooking Classes and Sampling

Spanish flamenco dancers swirling the skirts of their brightly coloured dresses.

Spanish Language Fiesta: 10 Years of Culture

A vibrant Spanish cultural festival with live music, dance, food and interactive experiences.

Western Bulldog football fans in the stands during a match.

AFL Round 12: Western Bulldogs v Collingwood

Watch the Bulldogs and the Pies play live at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night.

Five smiling people standing in front of a yellow wall that has the words CINEMA 1 in black letters partially visible.

People of Passion International Film Festival

A feel-good festival celebrating fresh voices and inspiring films from all over the globe.

The interior of St Patrick's gothic cathedral, featuring towering stone arches and large, ornate stained glass windows, with the pipes of the organ visible in the lower half of the image.

Lumen Christi! Organ Recital

Hear an inspiring concert of organ music through the ages, with a guest choir.

Regular weekend events

An outdoor alpine village pop-up event at Fed Square at night, featuring private wooden chalets, string lights, and a red carpet.
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Fondue Chalet

Melbourne’s much-loved winter dining experience returns to Fed Square.

An ancient Roman marble bust with its nose chipped off, displayed on a small square plinth.
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Rome: Empire, Power, People

This Melbourne-exclusive exhibition is a vibrant exploration of Ancient Rome.

A smiling woman with blond hair holding up a whole cherry pie in a dish in front of her chin, with steam rising from the pie.
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Waitress The Musical

The irresistible Broadway hit about resilience, friendship and hope.

A stand-up comedian talking into a microphone they hold in their hand, performing live on stage.
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Main Stage: Stand-Up Comedy

Have a laugh with stand-up comedy from Australia's best comedians, plus international drop-ins.

A large dinosaur model with its mouth open in a park setting.
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Dinos at the Zoo

Let your imagination run wild as you explore the trail of dinosaurs at Melbourne Zoo.

Three ballerinas on a darkened stage in glowing tutu dresses.
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Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty in a Sparkling Show

The classic fairytale is reimagined with glow-in-the-dark costumes and luminous staging.

The full cast of the musical Book of Mormon on stage singing and dancing, with a painted sky coloured background and other theatre props.
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The Book of Mormon

Australia’s biggest ever musical comedy returns this February.

Market stallholder with her puppet toys, beside the Yarra River in the CBD.
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The Sunday Market at Southgate

Explore the Sunday Market at Southgate and meet the makers.

A stylised image of a woman with long red hair wearing a red V-neck shimmering dress, laughing with her head tiled back, seated in a red armchair with a red velvet curtain backdrop, an ice bucket with a bottle of Champagne on the table next to her.
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Piper's Playhouse

Step inside Piper's Melbourne’s most immersive cabaret.

Novelty wind-up chattering teeth against a yellow background.
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Basement Comedy Club: Weekend Showcase

Bringing you the biggest names and best comedians in the country, and beyond.

Three people standing for a selfie on the ground at the MCG.
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Sports Precinct Walking Tour

Explore Melbourne's sports precinct on foot with a local guide, including a tour of the MCG.

Black and white photograph from the 1960s of model, Twiggy, wearing a mini-dress at the Melbourne Cup.
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Swinging 60s

This exhibition looks at what it was like to live in Victoria during the 1960s.

Two people on a stage giving each other a high five, one also holding a microphone.
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Comedy at the Coopers Inn

A comedy club featuring the best local, interstate and international stand-up comedians.

Workshop class participants smiling in a studio setting, holding up mosaic pots and coasters they have made.
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Mosaic Making Workshop for Beginners

Learn the art of creating beautiful mosaics from start to finish.

People looking up at the trees on a guided walk in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
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Aboriginal Heritage Walk

Wominjeka: journey into Melbourne Gardens with an Aboriginal guide.

Running tour jogging along a Yarra pathway with towers in the background.
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Yarra Sunrise Running Tour

Run Melbourne’s parks, landmarks and Yarra River at sunrise on this 8km tour with coffee to finish.

The shopfront of a Japanese-style craft workshop with brightly coloured craft materials on shelves and a neon sign.
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DIY Craft Workshops

Unleash your creativity at these workshops where everyone is a designer.

Interior of a bar decorated with colourful lamps, small paintings hanging on the red walls, with small tables and chairs arranged in the space.
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Melbourne Hidden Bars Walking Tour

Discover Melbourne's hidden bars – down alleys, in basements and behind closed doors.

A person pouring out a measure of Aperol into a metal measuring cup.
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Cocktail Making Class

Mix, shake and sip your way through the ultimate cocktail class in a hidden Melbourne bar.

The lobby of a comedy venue, with a blue velvet couch and red curtains.
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Sunday Night Stand Up Comedy Show

See some of Melbourne's best stand-up comedy, every Sunday night.

A group of smiling participants in a studio workshop setting, holding glass-domed terrariums.
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Serene Terrarium: Workshop for Beginners

Create your mini plant world while enjoying a soothing cuppa and a calming environment.

A large group of people in active wear all running on a path in park.
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Run the Tan: Run Club

Start the weekend off on the right foot with a run around the Tan.

Workshop participants smiling and holding multicoloured mosaic tiled coasters.
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Colourful Mosaic Coaster Workshop

Come and make mosaic coasters and step into the world of colours.

An early watercolour painting of Melbourne's Yarra River.
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Yarra: Stories of Melbourne's River

Explores the chequered history of the stream we call the ‘city’s river’.

A concrete green water trough for horses to drink from, in a Melbourne city street.
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Footsteps Through Time: Melbourne's History Walk

Step into Melbourne’s past on this two-hour guided walking tour of laneways and hidden stories.

A close up of flower made from enamel craft
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Cloisonne Enamel Painting Workshop for Beginners

Create a unique drink coaster using the ancient cloisonné art.

Three people on a walking tour with a Fit City tour guide, two carrying a takeaway coffee.
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Laneways and Lattes Walking Tour

Explore Melbourne’s hidden laneways with coffee, street art, history and culture.

Two people seated below a neon sign.
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The Story of the Moving Image

A permanent exhibition that journeys through the past, present and future of the moving image.

Animator and filmmaker Adam Elliot working on a claymation set, adjusting characters.
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Making Memoir of a Snail

Explore handmade sets, props and characters from Adam Elliot's claymation film Memoir of a Snail.

A group of people on a guided walk of the Royal Botanic Gardens, with trees in the background.
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Free Guided Walk

A free guided walk is the perfect way to enjoy the sunny weather in Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

Diners seated at a table and eating from plates that have designs projected onto them from above, as part of an immersive visual art and food experience.
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7 Paintings Dining Experience

A dinner show that combines art, technology, and culinary delight into a unique experience.

A small tour group looking up from the ground floor of the La Trobe Reading Room.
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State Library Victoria Unlocked

On this exclusive tour, gain access to State Library Victoria before the doors open to the public.

Three smiling workshop participants in a studio space, holding up jewellery they have made.
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Polymer Clay Earring Workshop

Create beautiful jewellery in this fun workshop.

A plate of fluffy pancakes with ice-cream and chocolate over the top.
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Chocolate Family Adventure Day

Enjoy an all-inclusive, stress-free family outing filled with fun, creativity, and delicious treats.

Three coloured gin-based cocktails with platters of snacks.
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Gin-dulgent High Tea Experience

Take your seat for a guided gin high tea like no other with bottomless sparkling.

A green linocut of a flower and foliage printed on paper and a fabric tote bag.
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Tote Bag Block Printing Workshop

Style your bag just the way you like it with block printing in this beginner's workshop.

Man holding an old-fashioned lantern outside illuminated Flinders St Station at night, wearing a suit and cap.
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Hidden Melbourne: Ghosts, Murder and Mystery

Take a spine-chilling journey back in time to explore the rich paranormal realm of Old Melbourne.

A dark interior space, with smoky purple rounds of light, silhouettes of people's arms pushing into these open spaces.
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Imaginator

An immersive experience that celebrates imagination, technology and play.

An Incan sun mask lying on greenery, part of the Machu Picchu: Journey to the Lost City virtual reality experience.
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Machu Picchu: Journey to the Lost City

A 4D virtual reality experience that lets you explore the Incan citadel in the Peruvian Andes.

A person in army uniform kneeling and laying a wreath of flowers where other flowers have been placed.
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Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service

A commemoration to honour First Nations Defence personnel, past and present.

Flinders Street Station lit up in blue at dusk during Melbourne's RISING festival, with city buildings in the background.
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RISING: Melbourne

A festival of new art, music and performance in the heart of Naarm/Melbourne each winter.

An abstract artwork with red, white, black and yellow lines.
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Matthew Simpson: Serendipitous Painting

Artist Matthew Simpson's fifth solo exhibition showing high impact abstracts and graphic animation.

Black and white photograph of a busy Melbourne city intersection with trams, cars, people crossing the road, and buildings, dating from around the 1950s or 1960s.
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Making Modern Melbourne

This free exhibition examines the tumultuous twentieth century in Melbourne.

Four rows of people sitting smiling and laughing.
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Kings of Comedy: Underground, Uncensored, Unrivalled

Enjoy stand-up comedy from future stars and celebrity guest headliners.

Small theatre venue with blue-lit curtains, lighting rigs and seating.

Jake's Birthday Bash

With 10 comics for 10 bucks, come along to the big stand-up show at Club Voltaire.

Two different hands holding two wine glasses, resting on a restaurant's dining table, a plate of food and napkins also on the table.
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Mystery Sidedoor City: Wine and Asian Fusion Bites

Enjoy off-menu bites and paired drinks at a hidden Melbourne venue on this guided tasting adventure.

Actor Sarah Ruhl posing with her hand on her face and looking blankly ahead in a dark navy room.
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Eurydice

A luminous, poetic reimagining of the Greek myth, directed by multi-award-winner Gary Abrahams

A colourful woven artwork with different textures and patterns representing a map.
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Hyperworlds: Unreal Cartography

An exhibition from Allanah Sarafian exploring maps as emotional and ideological objects.

Performer breathing fire with head tilted at an angle.
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The Vaudeville Revue: Cabaret, Comedy and Burlesque

Experience Melbourne's most intimate variety show in a hidden gem of the city.

Four cabaret performers surrounded by pink and yellow feather fans.
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Cabaret Ridiculous

An hour of variety entertainment that’s as unpredictable as it is unforgettable.

A seated group of improv comedians, all looking seriously at the camera.
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Improvised Comedy: The Remix

Improvised comedy from true stories, sampled and remixed to create comedy gold.

Three illuminated lamps with cylindrical parchment or fabric shades, decorated with various pressed flowers and small human figures.
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Pressed Flower Lamp Making Workshop

Make your room colourful and vibrant with your own pressed flower lamp.

See all events on this weekend

More to explore

People milling around Fed Square at sunset.

What's on today

Discover free events, epic festivals and shows on in Melbourne today.

A night tennis match at Rod Laver Arena.

Major events

From the Australian Open to the Melbourne Cup, major events take centre stage throughout the year.

Federation square on a sunny day overlooking Flinders Station and the city skyline

What's free in Melbourne this month

Everything to see, do and enjoy in Melbourne for free this month.

A chef cooking meat skewers over a flaming grill.
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What's on in November

Things to do in Melbourne in November, from free events to exhibitions and places to visit.